344 – Allan J. Katz

World Interfaith Harmony Week is an opportunity for people around the world to come together in the shared understanding that dialogue between different religions, faiths, and beliefs is essential to building sustainable peace.

Protecting religious freedom has been a fundamental concern of the United States going back to the earliest days of our republic and it remains so today. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has noted, “Religious tolerance is one of the essential elements not only of a sustainable democracy but of a peaceful society.”

As U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, I meet regularly with leaders of different faiths to help strengthen the dialogue between people who may not recite the same prayers, but who have a common commitment to, and interest in, a peaceful world where all of us can live, and worship, without fear.

People of all faiths have much to gain by working together to combat religious intolerance in all its forms. Let that be our goal during World Interfaith Harmony Week – and every week.